Worth a Thousand Words
by Icy Amour
Summary: Lovino has lost his cell phone. This wouldn't be a problem if that phone did not contain the damning evidence of his biggest secret. What will happen when Francis finds it and threatens to share it with the one person who can never know his secret? They do say that a picture is worth a thousand words after all. Spamano with very brief BTT.


**AN: Happy Valentine's Day my lovelies! Freezey here with some Spamano fluffiness. I've been missing these two a bunch. This was inspired by two images I found while looking through Google. Sadly, I can not find the original artists so I won't post the pictures. Please enjoy and I will see you guys at the end.**

 **I just own the story!**

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"Where is it? Where is it? Damn it, where is it?" Lovino Vargas muttered as he frantically dug through his Italian flag messenger bag. His panic evident on his face as he withdrew his empty hand.

"What's wrongs, fratello? Did you lose something?" Lovino's twin brother, Feliciano, asked from behind him as he packed his own bag to head off and join his friends for lunch.

"My cell phone! I can't find my fucking cell phone!" he snapped as he turned the bag upside down dumping all of it's contents onto the floor. He quickly dropped to his knees and began sorting through his things.

Feliciano rose from his seat and looked down at his brother with concern.

"Did you maybe forget it in your car, again?" he questioned in an attempt to be helpful.

"No, idiota, I didn't leave it in my car," Lovino barked as his hands came up to tangle in his auburn hair in frustration. "Gah, it isn't here!"

"Eek! I'm sorry, fratello," Feliciano squeaked fearfully, taking a step back from his brother and colliding with something soft and firm. He tilted his head back and found himself looking into a pair of cobalt blue eyes. "Ciao, Ludwig,"

Feli smiled up at his friend, Ludwig Beilschmidt, as he turned to face the taller boy.

"Hallo, Feli. Are you coming?" Ludwig asked as he looked down at his friend with his usual stony expression.

"Oh, si. I was just trying to help fratello find his cell phone first," the smaller boy chirped happily as he looped his arm through Ludwig's and hugged it causing the other boy to blush.

"Does he remember where he had it last?" Ludwig queried as he nervously ran a hand through his slicked back blonde hair.

"Of course I remember where I had it you nosey potato bastard. I had it when I was sitting at the picnic table outside…" Lovino trailed off as realization dawned on him. "Fuck!"

In a flash he stuffed his belongings back into his bag and leapt to his feet. He then sprinted out the door as if his life depended on it. He burst into the hall and nearly collided with a group of girls that were passing by, but didn't stop to apologize. He bobbed and weaved like a wide receiver through the sea of high schoolers as he made his way frantically toward the courtyard.

'Please be there. Please be there. Please be there,' he repeated in his head like a prayer as he slammed into the schools double doors forcing them open and bursting outside into the warm spring day.

Without slowing his pace Lovino ran to the furthest table from the school; his amber-green eyes frantically looking about for the familiar red, white, and green cell phone shell. Upon reaching the table he quickly scanned its surface. When he found nothing there he began looking around and beneath the outdoor furniture. To his utter dismay the mobile was nowhere to be found.

His heart sank into his stomach making it ache with anxiety. What if someone had found his phone and opened? There were some very private things on the slim device that NO ONE was ever to see. Things that would make him a prime target to be teased and ridiculed mercilessly by his peers if anyone saw the contents of his phone.

As Lovino slumped over the picnic table wallowing in his own personal Hell he failed to hear the sound of footsteps coming up behind him.

"Well, well if it isn't just the little Italian I have been looking for,"

Lovino cringed at the all too familiar voice of Francis Bonnefoy; one of the many banes of the Italian's existence.

"What the fuck do you want, wine bastard?" he growled as he pushed up off of the table and turned to face the other boy with his most ferocious glare.

"Must you always be so hostile?" Francis questioned rhetorically with an exasperated sigh and flip of his long blonde hair. "And here I was being ever so polite by returning your cell phone to you,"

Lovino watched as the other boy reached into his back pocket and pulled out his missing phone. His eyes blew wide upon seeing it and he immediately lunged forward to grab the device. Francis had other plans though as he lifted the mobile above his head out of the shorter boy's reach.

"Give it to me, asshole!" he shouted as he jumped up to snatch at the phone only for it to be slightly out of reach.

"Non, I think not," the French boy said as stepped away from Lovino and brought his arm down. "Curiosity got the better of me while I have had your phone. Imagine my surprise when I typed in eight-six-six-four and your cell opened like a blossoming rose. Really, cher, you are so very predictable,"

His thumb tapped on the screen several times and a devilish smile turned up his lips. Lovino's heart stopped when the mobile was turned to face him and his biggest secret stared back at him. His eyes fell to the ground and his hands clenched into fists at his side.

"What do you want?" he asked through clenched teeth as his body shook in a combination of rage and fear.

Francis hummed and tapped at his stubbled chin with the index finger of his unoccupied hand.

"What would I like in exchange for my silence? I could have you apologize for all the times you were unnecessarily rude to me or," taking several quick steps Francis moved in front of Lovino. He then cupped the other boy's chin in his hand forcing it upward and locked their eyes in a sultry stare. "I could have you kiss me,"

Lovino recoiled from the other boy's grasp and glared at him with disgust and contempt. Venomous words hung on the tip of his tongue, but were cut off by another voice calling out to them.

"Hey, Franny, what are you doing over there? I thought we were going out for lunch," Gilbert Beilschmidt called out to his friend drawing the two boys' attention.

"Ah, yes. One moment mon ami. I just was finishing up my conversation with Lovino here," the French boy replied and shot the Italian a lascivious wink.

"Hola, amigos. What are you talking about?" Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo asked as he and Gilbert walked up to stand next to Francis. Lovino blushed ever so slightly when the Spanish boy turned his sunshiney smile on him.

"It's nothing really. I was just returning Lovino's lost cell phone and he has offered me a kiss as a reward," Francis stated smiling sweetly.

Lovino's blush intensified to a deep crimson at Francis' words and his fiery temper surged to an inferno.

"That's a damn lie you rotten cheese eating, wine sucking bastard! Who would willingly want to kiss that ugly, stubley face of yours?" he exclaimed angrily as his hands curled into fists. He considered decking the older boy, but when he saw the irate look on Francis' he knew that his temper had caused him to say the wrong thing.

A cruel gleam entered Francis' blue eyes as he tapped the screen of Lovino's phone once again unlocking it.

"Antoine there is something very special I want to show you on our dear Italian's phone," the French boy said as he turned to the Spanish boy and brought the mobile up for him to see.

"Amigo, I don't think you should…" Antonio trailed off as his eyes locked onto the cellular device. His brow furrowed in confusion as he looked at it before shifting his gaze to Lovino. "Lovi, why is a picture of me the background on your phone?"

In that moment Lovino's entire world came to an apocalyptic halt. His biggest secret, the thing he kept buried deep inside him. The thing he guard so closely that NO ONE, not even Feli, knew about it was now out there for everyone to see. What made it worse was that the one person who was to never know was the one currently asking him about his secret.

"Lovino?" Antonio said with concern lacing his voice as he took a step toward the other boy. The sudden movement startled Lovino out of his frozen state and his flight instinct kicked in. Surging forward the Italian boy shoved past the other boys and ran for all he was worth. He had no idea where he was going he just knew he had to get away.

His Converses pounded against the ground as he blindly ran. He didn't know how long or how far he had run until his lungs and muscles began to burn. When he couldn't bear it anymore he stopped; doubling over to try and catch his breath.

Once his lungs stopped aching he righted himself and looked around at his surroundings. It seemed he had run all the way out to the unused storage sheds on the far side of the campus. It was quiet and isolated. The perfect hiding place to curl up and cry your eyes out. Which is exactly what Lovino planned to do right now as he made his way behind the nearest shed.

Antonio had seen his phone. He had see the picture. Right now he and his friends were probably looking through his photo gallery and music. He would see all Lovino's secrets and that would be the end of everything. He'd never have anything to do with Lovino again and that was what hurt the most.

Tears streamed from his yellow-green eyes in torrents and little hiccuping sobs escaped his lips. He knew by tomorrow the whole school would know. The would all laugh, call him cruel names, and scrawl obscene things on his locker. None of that was really new. Nobody really liked him. What with his prickly personality. He could count on one hand the number of people he could possibly call friends.

No, he could deal with everyone else. They didn't matter. The only person that mattered already knew and his rejection was the one thing Lovino could not deal with. As his sobs became more violent he dropped to his knees and curled in on himself. His heart ached and felt as if it were splitting in two as his misery wrapped around him like a blanket.

"Lovi?"

Lovino froze as the voice of the one person he did not want to see right now reached his ears.

'How did I not hear him? Why did he follow me? Couldn't he have waited until tomorrow to do this? I'm not ready to see him,' he fretted internally as he began to shake with anxiety and fear.

"Lovi, are you all right? You're shaking,"

A hand came down to gently rest on Lovino's head and carded soothingly into his hair. The sudden touch surprised Lovino and he recoiled backwards bracing himself with his arms as he fell back. He looked up at Antonio with his red rimmed eyes filled with trepidation and pain.

Antonio looked down apologetically at him which only caused Lovino to become even more upset.

Why did Antonio have to look at him like that? Why did he have to come here and inadvertently cause Lovino more pain?

Antonio suddenly dropped down into a crouching position startling the Italian. Lovino closed his eyes and braced himself for the inevitable hug he knew would be forthcoming. When he did not find himself wrapped in a rib crushing embrace he cracked his eyes open marginally to see what was going on. To his surprise he found the Spanish boy had his arm out stretched and in his hand was Lovino's cell phone.

Lovino looked at Antonio in confusion for several seconds before he snatched the device from the other boy and clutched it to his chest protectively.

"Thanks, I guess, tomato bastard," he muttered drawing his knees up to his chest and casting his eyes to the ground.

"De nada," Antonio replied absently. A heavy silence then fell over them like a velvet theater curtain. Lovino toyed with his phone as the oppressive atmosphere pushed down on him. What was Antonio waiting for? Was he trying to think of a way to let Lovino down gently?

"Lo siento," the Spanish boy said abruptly ending the silent period and making Lovino jump in surprise. "It was wrong for Francis to do what he did,"

Lovino sat dumbstruck for a moment. Antonio wasn't rejecting him, but apologizing for Francis? He was getting more confused by the moment.

"Whatever. Francis is a dick and I'm use to people pulling shit like that," the Italian boy muttered keeping his eyes trained on the ground.

Once more they found themselves wrapped in silence. Lovino just could not understand why Antonio had followed him out here. It couldn't have been to simply return his phone and apologize. He didn't seem to be rejecting him either. So why was he here?

"You never answered my question from before,"

Again Lovino jumped in surprise at Antonio's words. He really needed to stop drifting off into his own head or he was liable to accidentally give himself a heart attack.

"What are you on about now, churro bastard?" Lovino queried in his usual peevish manner.

"Why is a picture of me the background on your phone?" Antonio responded repeating his question from before.

'Has he really not figured it out? Can he really be that dense?' Lovino thought as his brain latched onto this possibility and decided to use it to his advantage.

"It's none of your damn business," he snapped sending a quick glare in Antonio's direction before looking back at the ground. He hoped his usual tactics would be enough to make Antonio leave.

"Oh, well okay then," Antonio said in his usual vapid, non-confrontational manner. Lovino inwardly sighed in relief thinking that he had managed to scare the other boy off.

However, he was not prepared for the Spanish boy to suddenly clasp his shoulders and push him gently onto his back as he shifted so that he was straddling the prone boy. Antonio's hands moved to brace himself as he leaned down so that his lips were mere centimeters from Lovino's ear.

Now it wasn't a new thing for Antonio to invade his personal space. He was an overly affectionate person after all who seem compelled to constantly be touching Lovino in some way. Antonio, however, had never done anything like this. Which is why Lovino's body had gone rigid with shock as he lay beneath the other boy.

"I had just hoped that," Antonio's warm breath tickled the shell of Lovino's ear as he spoke and sent a pleasurable shiver down the Italian boy's spine. "that picture had meant something,"

"Meant something?" Lovino asked airily his brain becoming addled by the delightful sensations Antonio's proximity was causing.

"Si, like maybe that you like me, too," the Spanish boy replied as his nose nuzzled the sensitive spot just behind Lovino's ear.

Lovino's brain while mostly turned to mush from the euphoria he was experiencing snagged onto that statement and the implications therein. Antonio LIKED him. Antonio. Liked. HIM!

But that couldn't be true. Nothing good like that ever happened to Lovino. This had to be a trick. Yeah, that was it. Those other two assholes probably put Antonio up to this and were hiding somewhere nearby watching while having a good laugh at his expense.

His hands came up and pushed against Antonio's chest forcing the other boy to rise slightly. Antonio looked down at Lovino with a mix of disappointment and confusion on his face.

"Lovino?"

"This a trick," Lovino stated his voice full of anger and hurt as he glared up at the Spanish boy.

"What?" Antonio said with a disbelieving chuckle.

"You heard me asshole. I bet your friends are having a good laugh right now. Get off me," Lovino said with a growl as he pushed as hard as he could against Antonio's chest. This took the Spanish boy by surprise and sent him tumbling to the side.

Once he was free Lovino quickly scrambled to his feet and started to walk away. He had barely taken a handful of steps when a pair of strong arms wrapped around his chest just below his shoulders and held him firmly against a broad chest.

"Let me go you bastard," he said angrily as he struggled in the other boy's hold.

"Lovino, please, just listen," Antonio pleaded as he grappled with keeping his hold on the Italian boy.

"No!" Lovino shouted as he started kicking backwards hoping to collide with the Spanish boy's shins. On his third strike he nailed Antonio hard with his heel and made him grunt in pain.

A feral growl rumbled in Antonio's throat and Lovino suddenly found himself spun around to face the other boy. He was then forced backwards and pressed roughly against the side of the shed. Antonio pinned Lovino's hands up beside his head and immobilized his hips with pressure from his own.

"Fucking let me go!" Lovino shouted as he continued to futilely struggle in Antonio's grip.

"Not until you listen," Antonio responded as he pulled his head back to avoid the other boy's headbutt attempt.

"Fuck you!" the Italian boy barked angrily and glared at his captor. Lovino was shocked when Antonio uncharacteristically gave him an irritated glower in return.

"Fine. Then maybe this will make you listen,"

Antonio's head suddenly descended and captured Lovino's lips in a searing kiss. Lovino was taken completely by surprise leaving him unable to respond at first. However, he quickly melted into the wonderful feeling of Antonio's soft lips moving against his own.

Lovino gave out a small whimper when Antonio pulled back ending the kiss before they had barely begun.

"Now will you listen?" Antonio asked as he nuzzled his nose against the Italian boy's.

Lovino hesitated for a moment before he gave a small nod. With that Antonio released his hands and took a step back. Lovino lowered his arms wrapping them around his chest and looked at Antonio expectantly.

The Spanish boy gave a heavy sigh as he reached up and rubbed nervously at the back of his neck.

"I like you, Lovi. I have for a long time,"

"Really?" Lovino questioned his eyes full of skepticism.

"Si, mi corazon. I just never said anything because you always got so upset when I was flirting with you," Antonio answered his lips turning up in an awkward grin. "You're really cute when you're mad by the way,"

"Flirting?" Lovino said, ignoring the cute comment, as slowly realization dawned on him. All the times Antonio had hugged him, every pet name he had called him, had been the Spanish boy's way of flirting. This whole time they had liked each other, but had been too blinded by fear to see it.

Laughter at the absurdity of this whole situation welled up inside Lovino until he could no longer contain it and deep guffaws escaped his lips. The sudden outburst made Antonio jump in surprise.

"Lovi?" he queried his voice full of confusion and a hint of hurt.

Abruptly, Lovino stopped laughing and surged forward toward the other boy. His arms came up to lock around Antonio's neck and he captured his lips in a kiss like the Spanish boy had done to him only a short time ago.

Antonio was too stunned by the uncharacteristic behaviour to act at first. After the initial shock wore off he wrapped his arms around the other boy's waist and reciprocated the kiss.

Feeling emboldened Lovino teased at Antonio's bottom lip with his tongue and was rewarded by the Spaniard opening his mouth. Their tongues met and twirled around each other as if they had done this a hundred times before. They kissed until they were out of breath and had to come up for air.

As they parted their eyes locked and they smiled warmly at each other.

"So is it safe to say you like me too?" Antonio asked and received a half hearted bunch to his shoulder.

"You'd better, idiota," Lovino said before pulling Antonio into another kiss.

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"Ah, l'amour," Francis mused with a sigh as he observed his friend sitting under a nearby tree in the schoolyard. Antonio sat in the trees shadow strumming the guitar that sat in his lap as he sang. Sitting behind Antonio was Lovino. He had himself pressed flush against the other boy's back with his arms around his waist and legs on either side. His head lay against Antonio's shoulders and he had a look of pure contentment on his face.

The pair had been completely inseparable for the last few days and Francis had never been prouder of himself. All it had taken was getting his hands on Lovino's phone and sharing its contents with Antonio. It had all been worth it. Well he could have done without the black eye he was sporting thanks to Lovino, but ultimately it was all worth it. How did that saying go? A picture was worth a thousand words and his friends happiness was the proof of that.

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 **AN: I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry Francis seemed like such a jerk in the beginning, but we know why now. I have a TON of things I'm working on and I'm doing my best to post at least once a month. I know all UKUS peeps are excited for what I've got next. Okay until next tale!**


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